State Govt and CBO’s agree to help conflict affected Karen communities

Karen State government officials, representatives from Burma based civil society organizations and border based community based organizations met for two days in Hpa-an on 21-22 May and reached an agreement to work together to help Karen communities that have been affected by six decades of conflict.

The meeting agreed to five points to enable building a peaceful and a developed society in the conflicted areas in Karen State.

A statement by the groups said the agreements included building an inclusive education system, creating job opportunities, providing vocational educations, the return of refugees and IDPs only after a concrete and strong peace agreement is in place and to have further positive and open discussions among the civil society groups.

Speaking at the two-day workshop, Deputy Director-General U Aung Tun Khaing, from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said.

“We will recorded these five-points and we will include these points when we draw up regional development and social development projects.”

Naw Blooming Night Zan, an executive committee member from the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) said at the workshop that the government cannot lose contact with the public and that the government should take up its primary responsibilities in rebuilding the country.

Naw Blooming Night Zan said.

“The government must take its responsibility to rebuild the country. In the same way, the armed groups and the political groups have to work on it as well. If the CBOs work together our country will get to a top-ranking country in the near future.”

The workshop was attended by the Karen State parliament chairman and State officials from various government departments, representatives from the United Nations agencies, Burma based civil society groups and border based group including the Karen Education Department (KED), Back Pack Health Worker Team and the Committee of Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP).